Small business marketing and training services from an industry leader - Eagle Soars Consulting

The owner of Shade Tree Garage in Morristown, NJ, never imagined he would get such a great response from initiating a consistent marketing program so when the results showed a 300% increase in new business, he was amazed.  It all began in the summer of 2003, when John decided that operating on a dead end street required a little more savvy and stick-to-itiveness than just sending out mailings to his customers every once in a while.

Before working with us, John would send out periodic letters to his database of customers to remind them of certain recommended service procedures.  As with most businesses, he also advertised in the Yellow Pages and the Yellow Book.  Every once in a while, he would place an insert in the AAA Traveler magazine.  While John had a general idea of the marketing strategies that were wroking for him, there was no formal reporting procedure to determine his return on investment.

John's goal in hiring Eagle Soars Consulting was to have someone completely take over his marketing so it would be done consistently and frequently.  Our involvement would also allow John and his staff to concentrate on their work responsibilities -- fixing cars.  No one in his shop had a marketing background and they weren't able to devote the amount of time to effectively market his business.

The first seven months were used to create a consistent schedule and a baseline for evaluating his return on investment.  As time progressed, we were able to determine that some of the strategies John thought were bringing him new business were actually a drain on his marketing budget.

One of the first strategies to show a poor or negative return on investment was advertising in the local phone book directories.  Once we learned this, we immediately cut back on advertising in the Yellow Pages and went from a larger listing to a basic listing.  Yellow Book advertising was completely eliminated.

One of the most formidable strategies implemented in John's plan was the search engine optmization (SEO) of his web site.  John worked with Rank Magic to develop specific recommendations for SEO.  Eagle Soars Consulting was responsible for writing on the SEO text.  Once the site was optimized, new business generated from his web site went from $4,000 a year to 5.5 times that amount.

Here are some of the tasks we complete for Shade Tree Garage each month:

• Reserving space and coordinating the printing of AAA Traveler inserts every two months
• Creating and sending out email blasts every two weeks
• Coordinating the printing and mailing of a customer rewards flyer every two months
• Designing display advertisements for local newspapers and car club magazines
• Updating their web site once per month
• Writing and submitting press releases
• Writing articles
• Writing radio advertisements

Every year, Shade Tree Garage undergoes peer review for all aspects of its business operations.  The year 2004, was the first year John received stellar reviews for his marketing program.  In 2005, the company showed a 300% increase in new business from when we first started working with him in 2003 - a direct result of producing a consistent and frequent marketing campaign.

Right now, Shade Tree Garage is continuing to show excellent results from its marketing program.  While most automotive repair shops are feeling the crunch of the economy, John's shop is bringing in from 1 to 3 new customers a day.  That's a story worth telling.